Chapter 10 Fuck fuck fuck fuck
Lily
I fidget anxiously with my charm necklace as I wait by the left elevator. The right one’s doors open, and Mel steps out. She gives me a confused look when I don’t get in it.
“Aren’t you waiting for the elevator?” she asks.
“No, I’m waiting for…” I begin, but then the left elevator chimes and the doors open.
Renata is standing in the elevator car, looking perfect as always. She beckons me with a curt nod.
I give Mel an awkward wave before entering the elevator beside Renata. As always, I feel my anxiety rise as the doors shut.
“Are you…all right?” Renata asks. My chest flutters a little when I remember what she said to me before. That she could hear my heartbeat.
“Yes, I just get a little claustrophobic,” I explain. “Elevators always get to me.”
She nods, and crosses her arms. She seems a little distracted, even more than usual. I hope she’s not still upset with me.
“Ms. Espina, I just wanted to say again how sorry I am,” I tell her. “About bringing my son to work. I should never have…”
“No need for further apologies, Lily,” she mutters, without making eye contact with me.
There’s a dense silence between us. I curse myself for being so stupid and bringing Eli in. I’ve worked so hard to develop a good reputation here, and now she thinks I’m unprofessional. I should have realized that she expects more from me.
I watch her out of the corner of my eye. The proud tilt of her jaw, her air of complete confidence. She had told me that she appreciated everything I did. That the hotel couldn’t function without me. And I totally ruined it.
Classic Lily, I guess.
The doors chime open on the holding floor.
I shiver. It’s dark up here. There’s a security panel on the side of the wall by the elevators.
Renata quickly steps out of the elevator and presses her fingerprint up against it.
She has to do this within one minute of entering the floor, or else it will trigger an alarm throughout the hotel.
The holding floor is a nice name for a…a jail, I guess.
There are secure rooms along this floor for putting anyone who threatens the safety of the hotel.
I used to think it was for badly-behaved guests or people who tried to cheat the casino, but when I learned more about Tudor Thornblade and his daughters, I realized it’s a bit more complicated than that.
When Renata presses her thumb print against the panel, it also activates the hallway lights.
They’re bright, so bright that I have to blink a few times as my eyes adjust. The walls are a stark shade of white.
There are no windows anywhere. This floor is completely sealed off except for several well-secured vents.
There’s a row of bolted doors along the hallway and an office at the very end.
“The holding floor’s security system has been acting up for months,” Renata says, moving down the hallway at a brisk pace. “We’ll just check that everything’s secure and then we’ll be on our way.”
I hurry to keep up with her, but her long legs are much faster than mine, and I fall a few paces behind. She stops at the end of the hallway and opens the door to the office.
The moment she opens the door, a figure wearing loose, black clothes emerges from the office and lunges at her. Their face is covered, but their intent is clear. They knock Renata up against the back wall of the hallway.
“Who…!” Renata yells, but her words are cut off by a shout of pain. There’s an awful, metallic smell. Her attacker holds a thick chain of silver up against her neck.
Adrenaline courses through my veins. My dad always used to say that you never really know how you’re going to act in a dangerous situation until you’re in one. He always said: be smart, and don’t do anything rash.
Well, clearly I’m very bad at taking advice, because even though I am five foot nothing and very, very non-magical in every way, I jump at the dark-clothed attacker, giving them everything I’ve got.
I might not be strong, but I’m the mother of a five-year-old, and I’ve gone at least a week without a manicure.
I sink my long fingernails as deep as I can into the attacker’s hands.
They shout in surprise, and drop the silver chain. It gives Renata a moment to free herself, shoving the attacker aside. They turn to me, their eyes glowing under the hood of their dark cape, and they whisper something so low I’m not able to make out the words.
It’s like a strange dream. A massive forcefield of crimson light shoots out at me, so my entire world is painted red. I fly up into the air, all the way down the long hallway.
There’s a sickening crunch as the back of my head hits the hard concrete floor.
I’m overwhelmed by pain unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.
I try to shout for Renata, but I’m totally winded.
Still, I try desperately to force my body to move.
I need to help her! What if someone tries to hurt her? I have to call security, or something.
But I can’t move a muscle. The more I try, the more helpless I am. I know that something is wrong. Something is very, very wrong.
There’s another blur of motion as the intruders run past me.
There’s an emergency staircase at the other end of the hallway.
It will trigger the emergency alarm, but I guess they’ve realized they’ve already been spotted.
There are only two of them, I think, but they move so quickly, I can’t be sure.
Why can’t I move my arms? I should be able to move my arms by now, right?
“Lily,” whispers a familiar voice. I blink, and see Renata bending down over me.
There’s an expression of twisted anger on her face. It’s the angriest I’ve ever seen her. Her eyes are crimson to the irises, her nostrils flared.
“Lily, why did you do that?” she asks, furiously.
I try to respond, but I can’t even manage a whisper. I can feel something wet and sticky on the ground beside me, but I can’t look up or move my arms to see what it could be. I feel very, very…woozy. My eyelids are heavy, and they start to flutter.
Everything hurts. And everything feels wrong…
I think I might die. But…but I can’t die. I can’t leave Eli…
“Shh, hold on,” Renata says. “Hold on, Lily.” She reaches down into the belt she has strapped around her ankle and pulls out her golden dagger.
Is she going to kill me? Am I so far gone that she’s going to end my life so I don’t have to suffer any more? I hope she does it quickly. I hope my mother gets a good insurance payout, and she puts aside some of it for Eli’s college fund. He’s such a smart boy…
I close my eyes, bracing myself.
But I don’t feel the sharp end of the dagger in my heart.
Instead, I taste something unusual. Something strange and otherworldly…
I lick my lips, and realize my mouth is full of a thick, rich liquid.
Is it medicine? Did she give me some alcohol, or drugs to numb the pain?
But it doesn’t taste like anything I’ve ever drank before.
It’s amazing. Like how you would imagine wine tastes like in heaven, or something equally ridiculous.
And then something even stranger happens…the pain starts to melt away, as though it was never there in the first place. I can feel my arms again, and then my legs. I take a deep, shaking inhale and blink my eyes open.
Renata stands above me like an angel, lit by the bright fluorescent lights of the hallway.
Her eyes are back to their usual brown again, although they’re still a little red around the edges.
There’s a streak of blood down her face, from her eye to her chin.
I wonder if it happened when she was fighting the intruders.
I swallow, and take a deep, steady inhale. “Re-Renata?”
“I’m here,” she says, leaning down. “I’m right here.”
Surprised by how well I suddenly feel, I sit up.
My palm finds a puddle of thick, red blood pooled around me.
Bile rises in my throat. There’s blood all around me.
I must have been very badly injured. The office is all the way at the end of the hallway, at least thirty feet from where we are.
I was pushed all this way and slammed down onto the concrete floor.
Renata reaches into her pocket and pulls out a rose-embroidered handkerchief. She uses it to wipe down her dagger, which is now bloody.
For a second, I assume it’s my blood, but then I see the neat red line across her wrist.
My eyes widen. “What…what happened?”
“We were attacked,” she says, her voice low with calm rage. “I don’t know by who, but one of them used magic to injure you.”
“I thought…how am I still alive?” I ask her. “What happened to your wrist?”
“I gave you some of my blood,” she explains. “It was the only way to save you.”
“Your…your blood?” I touch my lips with the tips of my fingers. I can still taste it in my mouth. But instead of being disgusted, like I should probably feel, it’s strangely…intimate. There’s a tingly feeling in my stomach. “It doesn’t taste like blood…”
“Vampire blood isn’t like human blood,” she says. “It has healing abilities. Luckily I’m very old, and my blood was powerful enough to heal your injuries, even though they were extensive. How are you feeling now?”
“I’m all right, I think,” I reply. I’m a little dopey, like I’ve had a glass or two of wine.
And I feel…a bit different. It’s hard to explain. But when I look at Renata, it’s like I…like I can feel her, somehow, in my veins. Like we’re connected in a way we weren’t before.
“Does vampire blood…” I ask, not even sure what I’m saying. “Does it make us…?”
“It has many properties,” she replies, quickly. “It might make you feel…strange, around me. I’m sorry that I had to do it, I should have asked you…”
“No, no,” I reply. “I’m glad you did it. Thank you, for saving my life.”
“You saved me first,” she says, a flash in her eyes. Then her voice becomes a little more stern. “Lily, listen to me. You must never do that again, do you understand? Witches are extremely powerful…”
“That was a witch? But I thought that the witches and the vampires got along? What about the conference?”
Renata frowns. “I’m not sure who that was.
They were wearing a mask, and I couldn’t recognize them.
I tried to call for backup, but they must have cast a spell to jam the signals on this floor.
I’ve never seen anything like it.” She shakes her head angrily.
“I never should have let you come up here with me. I put you in harm’s way. ”
My face feels a little warm, and I’m not sure if it’s the vampire blood. For a moment, she bends down, like she’s about to reach for me. But then she stops herself.
“I’ll call for a medical team,” she says. “To check you out, and get you out of this hallway.”
“That’s ok,” I say, wiggling my fingers. “I think I’m all right…better than all right, actually.”
As the haziness dissipates, I find I actually feel…awesome. Like drinking three red bulls in a row, but without that weird aftertaste. I give her what I hope is an encouraging smile.
She looks like she’s going to ask me something, then she changes her mind. “Well, at least let me help you up,” she says, holding out her hand.
I take it. It’s the first time we’ve ever touched. Her fingers are chilly, but not in a strange way. There’s a little tingle along my spine. Her skin is soft, but her grip is strong and she easily pulls me to my feet.
Maybe it’s the blood, or maybe it’s the near-death experience, but I find myself saying something I usually wouldn’t. “What…what were you going to ask me?”
“When?”
“Just now, before you helped me up.”
“I was going to ask if you wanted me to…” she begins, then she pauses. “Nothing. It was inappropriate.”
I swallow. I’ve never seen her like this. She seems a little…ruffled.
“We should go back downstairs,” she continues, her voice a shade more professional. “I’ll call a medical team regardless, to make sure you’re all right, and of course I’ll arrange some new clothes and for a driver to take you home.”
“That’s not…”
“It is absolutely necessary,” she says with an assertive nod. “You’ll have the rest of the week off, and more, if you need it, to ensure you’re completely healed.”
“I’m really fine,” I tell her. “I’m sure I look like a mess though.”
“You look perfect,” Renata responds.
My heart pounds. Her irises contract slightly, and I realize that she noticed it. There’s a thick pause between us that I don’t know what to do with. To my embarrassment, all I can manage is an awkward laugh. “Before we get on the elevator,” I say. “I should tell you…”
“Yes?”
“That…that you have a streak of blood on your face. It must have been from the fight…”
“From the fight?” she looks confused, then she brings her hand to her face and feels it. “Oh, that’s…yes, thank you for telling me, Lily.”
She takes out a fresh handkerchief and wipes her face, then she pulls out another and hands it to me (how many does she keep in those pantsuit pockets?) “You have a little blood at the corner of your lip.”
“Oh?” I take the handkerchief from her and bring it to my face, wiping my mouth as delicately as I can.
“No, wait…” She takes the handkerchief from me and, with a gentle finger, brushes the edge of my lip with it. There’s a tender expression on her face, one I haven’t seen very often.
My heart flutters, and there’s a warm feeling in my core.
Oh fuck.
Oh fuck fuck fuck fuck.
I definitely have a crush on my boss.